


Silver

by EmberCelica



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy
Genre: Gift Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 23:09:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9039830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberCelica/pseuds/EmberCelica
Summary: Pete takes Patrick to see the Christmas lights, and to talk about childhood innocence (and how growing up doesn't mean letting go of magic).





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doctorkilljoy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorkilljoy/gifts).



> Prompt: Silver

  
Patrick opened the door to a grinning Pete. "Are you ready to see some magic?" Pete asked, excited.  
  
"Funny, I don't see you holding a deck of cards." Patrick stepped aside to let Pete in, but he seemed content to bounce on his heels on the porch.  
  
Pete shook his head. "We can rest later. Come on, I said I’d drive us around. You're gonna let all the cold air in if you keep the door open." Pete took a step back, eager to take Patrick away.  
  
The cold air bit Patrick's ears, and he was firm but careful when pulling his beanie down to cover them, following Pete to his car. Christmas music was playing from the radio, and Pete saw the look on Patrick's face and turned it even louder when they got in. Patrick lowered it to a less obnoxious level, rolling his eyes. "I swear, you're gonna blow my eardrums out, and then we won't be able to play music anymore after that."  
  
"Beethoven was deaf, dummy. And you're like, the more talented, angrier Beethoven, so I’m sure you’d be fine."  
  
Patrick's neighborhood was ranked average, in his mind, for Christmas decorating. A couple houses put up lights, some even chose multicolored lights, but it didn't compare to the displays in the outer, more extravagant neighborhoods.  
  
Which is exactly where Pete and him were driving to right now. Pete had brought the idea up first, when they were writing music together in Patrick's room a couple days ago. Joe was too busy to come along, so it was just him and Pete.    
  
"It's so pretty at night, Rick. The houses go all out, and some even flash to Christmas music!"  
  
"You're hyping it up pretty hard, dude. It's a pretty short drive over."  
  
"Yeah, but a _long_ neighborhood. it's the best part of this time of year. Don't be such a grinch, man."  
  
The night was just getting dark, and the heat in Pete's car felt pretty good. "Yeah, I guess I'm excited too." The snow piled on the side of the street was gray on pure white.  
  
Pete slowed down once they saw the first house, which was kind of like staring directly into the sun. He turned the radio off. "Roll down your window," Pete told him. Tinny, cheerful Christmas music, probably coming from some hidden lawn speakers, filled the car along with the chilly air.  
  
"Wow," Patrick said, awestruck, as they drove by houses completely decked out in Christmas lights and decorations. Each one was decorated; some had inflated characters, light up reindeer, snowmen, even penguins. Trees were covered in lights, looking like something otherworldly. His favorite was one that had blue and silver lights on it, the house decorated for Hanukkah. The drive was beautiful, and when the music stopped, Patrick found he enjoyed it even more when it was just him and Pete talking. Pete would grab his attention, pointing out his favorite houses, and how the snow made the lights even brighter.  
  
They were reaching the end of the neighborhood when Patrick said, "You know, I've always wanted to do this with someone."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Drive around and see people's house decorations. Um, we don't decorate our house, because it's a ton of work." He rolled up his window, watching house after house go by.  
  
Pete made an affirmative sound to show he was listening.  
  
"After the divorce, and when Kevin went to college, both of them stopped decorating their houses." Patrick never really talked about his family this much, but then again, he didn't have many friends before Pete that he was this close to. "I mean, I stopped believing in Santa before the divorce, but like, I realized that Christmas was sort of a burden when you're not ten..."  
  
Pete pulled into a court, turning the car around. "I see that, man. I mean, It's hard when you're a kid and then you lose that sort of innocence, you know?" They lapsed into a silence Patrick would call 'a little uncomfortable,' and would have blamed it on him sharing too much. Then Pete said, “What my dad used to do was that he would take silver confetti and sprinkle it from the fireplace to the Christmas tree, and all over the living room, and he told us that it was Santa’s magic trail.”  
  
Patrick couldn’t help but smile at such a cute memory. "No.”  
  
Pete was grinning, his cheeks tinged with color. “Yes! He was a pretty great dad. I found little bits of silver on his sweater after one Christmas morning, though, and made the connection when I was older. But now like, I see silver lights or confetti and I remember that. I remember that magical feeling, like, _he's real, oh my god,_ unreal excitement, not that part about finding out my dad was lying to us.”  
  
Patrick was too busy watching Pete to realize that the car had slowed to a near-crawl. Pete sped up again, but Patrick felt like Pete had forgotten he was driving, too. He kept looking over at Patrick, little glances, which was dangerous, but not at the speed they were going at before. "Watch the road, Pete," he said, a little amusedly.  
  
Pete stopped glancing at him, but still had a small smile as he stared ahead. "Got it. Got it."  
  
Pete reached a street where the corner streetlight bathed the night orange. He turned left. "I think that was my favorite part about Christmas. It's supposed to be about spending time with your loved ones and the emotions and good memories you have. It's magical, and all."  
  
Patrick looked out his window, fogging up from the heat. He absentmindedly doodled a heart in the fog, then wiped it away before he forgot about it and left it there for Pete to find. Patrick shook his head. Ridiculous worries. "So, I'm supposed to hold onto my childhood magic as I grow up?"  
  
Pete's voice was lighthearted. "Absolutely. We need a little magic and beauty, and LED lights and snow are pretty nice."  
  
Patrick laughed. "Remember that when it's minus ten and you have to shovel out your parents' driveway at 8am."  
  
"True, true." Pete leaned back in his seat, one hand on the steering wheel. "And when you move in with me and Joe and we get to spend Christmas and Hanukkah together, we can make new traditions."  
  
The idea of moving in together sounded too good, but Patrick knew that with them, it was possible. "We can put candles on the tree and stuff, like they used to do in Germany. Or get Chinese food and watch movies all day."  
  
"Yeah," Pete said, wistfully. "Anything you want." They were reaching street names Patrick could recognize. He looked over at Patrick. "Time to go home?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Patrick's mom, because she's an utter saint, had hot chocolate packets out for them when they came home, tracking in snow, smiling and shivering for warmth. Pete sat on the kitchen counter (which he was told not to do every time he came over) and teased Patrick over that very fact while the milk heated up. Patrick, in the name of the holiday spirit, only tried to push him off the counter once.  
  
Sitting on the couch, Patrick said, "I still think it's so cool that your dad would do that for you."  
  
Pete sat on the one side of the couch, stretching his legs to reach Patrick at the other end. Pete talked slowly, either sleepy from the drink or because he was putting a lot of thought into his words or both. "Yeah. And I think...I think what I meant in the car is that you have to find what makes you believe in magic when you're older."  Pete pushed his foot against Patrick's side, because he liked pushing Patrick's buttons, even when he was playing nice.  
  
Patrick pushed his feet off the couch. Pete grinned wider, holding his mug. "So, I should get you a bucket of silver confetti then?" Patrick joked, taking a sip. Somehow, being with Pete made the hot chocolate taste richer and warmer in his belly.  
  
"I don't need anything but you," Pete said, honestly. He held his mug in his lap, turning it around in his hands. “You make me feel like silver. You're my silver, Trick."  
  
Pete had that way of making him feel like magic. Like something better than he was. Patrick blamed the heat in his cheeks on the hot chocolate, the fast heart rate on _anything else_ , and meant it sincerely when he replied, "Thanks. Thank you for showing me the lights." 

Patrick couldn't say it then, but he found his own silver, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Happy holidays! Please don't drive like Pete!


End file.
